Safety circuit-controller for traffic-controlling systems.



W. H. REIGHARD.

SAFETY CIRCUIT CONTROLLER FOR TRAFFIC CONTROLLING SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.13, 1911.

1,101,958. Patented June 30,1914.

l l l l l l' it a. N N Q Q E I n a mi I U I 0 o m Q K) k E E I i, Q Pg: R 1% Q 1L 1 h 5 I l i I fiwemon COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cm, WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNITED STATES ra'rnn ornion.

WADE H. REICI-IARD, OF TROY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO FEDERAL SIGNAL COMPANY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION.

SAFETY CIRCUIT-CONTROLLER FOR TRAFFIC-CONTROLLING SYSTEMS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WADE H. REIOHARD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at No. 76 Oakwood avenue, in the city of Troy, in the county of B-ensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety CircnitControllers for Traffic-Controlling Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a safety circuit controller for a traffic controlling system employing electricity as the source of power. This safety circuit controller is adapted to protect against the application of power to one device of the system from the live wires leading to another. This controller is especially adapted to give such protection in a system for moving railway switches or signals.

The figure shows a system for set-ting two switches by means of the levers controlling them with the electric storage batteries necessary to furnish the power.

I will describe the parts shown in the figure and then it will be clear how my safety circuit controller gives the protection desired.

E, is a storage battery of a suitable E. M. F, usually about 110 volts.

L and L, are levers for operating the contacts which control the application of power to the railway switch motors, M and M. As L and L are counterparts of each other, 1 will describe L only. Similar parts of L have the same number as those of L, except that these references are primed.

The rod, 1, of Lslides through the bearings, 2 and 3, and has two collars, 6 and 7, to limit its stroke. The rod, 1, carries two wipers, a and 5, both being insulated electrically from rod, 1. Viper, 4, slides between and bridges contacts, 8 and 9, and 10 and 11, also wiper, 5, bridges contacts, 12 and 13, and 1a and 15. Bus bar, 26, is connected to magnet, A, at 31, and A is con nected to contact, 10, and to contact, 8, as shown. Bus bar, 27, is connected to magnet, B, at 32, and B is connected to contact, 14:, and contact, 12, as shown. The bus bars, 26 and 27, are connected to the circuit breaker contacts by wires, 22 and 28. Contact pieces, 20 and 21, of the circuit breaker are held up by magnet, D, as will be presently shown, and connect terminals, 18 and 19, to

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 13, 1911.

Serial No. 665,472.

wires, 22 and Terminals, 18 and 19, are connected to the battery E by wires, 24 and 25, as shown. Magnet, D, is adapted to hold up its core, 0, to which are fastened bridging pieces, 20 and 21. These bridging pieces are insulated from C. F, is an iron case inclosing magnet, D. lVhen magnet, D, is energized, terminal, 18, is connected to wire, 22, and terminal, 19, is connected to wire, 23. When magnet, D, is de'elnergized the core, C. falls down, disconnecting terminal, 18, from wire, 22, and terminal, 19 from wire, 23. The magnet, D, is connected to terminal, 18, and by wire, 29, to contact, 17. Wiper, 38, bridges contacts, 17 and 16, and contact, 16, is connected to contact, 17, by wire, 30. Wiper, 38, bridges contacts, 1 and 16, and contact, 16, is connected to resistance, R, by wire, 28. Resistance, R, is also connected to terminal, 19. The above circuit is what I call the safety circuit and as this circuit includes a contact on each lever in the system, it is clear that the opening of any one of these contacts would interrupt the safety circuit and thus release magnet, D.

The safety circuit controller, which is the feature of this invention, consists of the magnets, A and B, and their common core,

. J, carrying the wiper, 38. Viper, 38, however, is insulated from thecore, J. Magnet, A, when energized alone will draw the core, J, and the wiper, 38, to the right, thus opening the safety circuit, while magnet, B, when energized alone will draw the core, J, and wiper, 38, to the left. This action will also open the safety circuit. However, as

the magnets normally are both energized and are of identical construction they neutralize each other and have no effect upon the position of the core, J.

The resistance, R, is inserted in series with the safety circuit to reduce the current consumption of the magnet, D, for when the core, C, has once touched the case, F, very little current flow will suffice to hold it there. The switch, S, is for the purpose of shunting resistance, B, when the core, C, is down and it is desired to increase the current in magnet, D, to such a value that will raise the core, C, until it touches the case, F, when switch, S, may be opened.

To move the track switch, T, I employ a motor having two field windings in series with the armature. One winding, NF, gives Patented June 30, 1914:.

counter clockwise rotation and the other winding, RF, gives clockwise rotation. I will now assume that t ie safety circuit is complete and that magnet, D, is holding its contacts closed, making bus bar, 26, positive with respect to bus bar, 27. and also I will assume that it is desired to set the track switch, T, for the turnout, that is, to put track switch, T, in the opposite or reverse position to that shown. First, the operator will push the handle of lever, L, until the collar, (3, comes against bearing, 2. Then wiper, 4t, will engage contacts, 10 and 11, and wiper, 5, will engage contacts, 1 1 and 15. Current will new low from bus bar, 26, at contact, 31, through magnet, A, .to contact, 10, to wiper, 4;, to contact, 1.1, wire, 341-, bridging piece 410, to reverse field. winding, RF to arn'iature, iii, to wire, to contact, 1.4-, through magnet, B, to contact, of the negative bus, 27. This current causes .the motor to rotate, driving pinion, 47, and main gear, 18, The crank, 19, being :lfastened to the gear, 48, will pull on rod, 50, which in turn moves track switch, T, over to its opposite position, carrying rod, 42, with its lug, 4:8, with it. l'Vhen the movement of track switch, 'l, is con'iplete the lug, 4 :3, will rotate the cutout, about the pin, 4:1, to the position of the dotted line, el thus disconnecting wire, 34, from field winding, RF, and connecting wire, b3, to winding, NF, so that track switch, T, may be put back to its normal position, when desired. It will be seen that the current flow above had no effect on the safety circuit controller, AB, because magnets, A. and B, were in series with each other and there fore carried the some current. thus neutralizing each other in their action on the core, J. The movement of lever, L, back to the position shown in the drawing would now energize wire, 83, bridge, 40, tie] d vind ing, NF, armature, M, wire, ctc., causing track switch, 1, to return to the position shown. lVire, 33, will be positive when lever, L, is as shown, and wire, 3-4:, will be positive when lever, L, occupies the reverse position tothat shown, and when wire, 33, is positive wire, 31, will be negative through the action of wiper, 5, and also when wire, 84, is positive, wire, 33, will be negative through the action of wiper, Also, wire, 35, is always negative.

positive and negative wires 1 mean the wires which respectively lead to and from the motor.

I will now assume a cross to exist from wire, 33, of lever, L, to wire, 341, of lever, L,

such as shown by the dotted line, X. This,

cross would apply power from wire, 33, to wire, 34, and cause current to flow in the following circuit. Starting at contact, 31, of bus, 26, it flows through magnet, A, to contact, 10, to contact, 8, wiper, at, to contact, 9, wire, 33, to point of cross of K, through X to wire, 34, of L. At contact of X with wire, 34, the current divides, part flowing toward the motor of track switch, T, over wire, 34:, to bridge 40, to field winding, RF, to ariuatiu'e, M", wire, 35 to contact, 141, and part from contact of X with wire, 3%, toward. lever, L. over wire, 34-, to contact, 11, to contact, 13, wiper, to contact, 12, to contact, 14:. From contact, 1 1:, the current would flow through magnet, B, to bus bar, 27, at contact, The first part above described would tend to move the track switch, T. Such movement would be unauthorized by the operator and consequently would be dangerous. it will be seen that such a current would cause mag" net, A, of lever, L, to open the safety circuit at contacts, 16 and 1.7, and also magnet, B, of lever, L, would open the safety circuit at contacts, 16 and 17. Either of these breaks in the safety circuit would release magnet, D, and allow bridging and 21, to disconnect from wires, 22 and thus interrupting such an imauthorized current flow as I have described. It will be clear that a cross of a positive wire of lever, L, to a negative wire of lever,'L, would opcrate to the same end, and also it will be evident that I could extend the safety cir-- cuit to embrace any number of levers desired, beyond the two that I have shown.

Vhat 1 claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

in an electric tratlic controlling system, control circuits having individual return wires; a safety circuit to govern the appli cation of power to the system and safety circuit controllers to govern the contmuity ol:

the safety circuit, the said controllers each having one electro-inagnet connected in the positive side of the correspondingcontrol circuit and a second electro-man'nct connected in the return or negative s'de of the same control circuit.

In testimony whereof I have aliixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WADE H. REICHARD. \Vitnesses LOTTIE PRIOR, BEULAH CABLE.

Copies ct this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

pieces, 20 

